The present invention relates to a variable geometry conveyance, such as a wheeled vehicle, having front and rear wheels, and the capability to transform between first and second wheeled configurations.
In the present description, the invention is described in relation to a toy vehicle, although it will be appreciated that the invention is more broadly applicable to conveyances in general, including vehicles such as automobiles or trucks; skateboards; roller skates and the like. Further, the term "first" configuration of the conveyance, as used herein, means a wheeled conveyance movable in a longitudinal direction on at least three wheels with two of the wheels being rotatable about longitudinally spaced, transversely extending axes and in which configuration two of the three wheels establish a predetermined track. Additionally, the term "in-line," "tandem" or "second" configuration, as used herein, means a wheeled conveyance which is movable in a longitudinal direction on at least two wheels on longitudinally spaced, transversely extending axes and in which configuration the two wheels have a track less than the predetermined track established by the two wheels of the conveyance when in the first configuration and including a track equal to zero. As used herein, the term "track" means the transverse distance between wheels measured to planes extending through their centerlines and in the longitudinal direction of travel.
In a preferred embodiment hereof, pair of front and rear wheels are provided and may be displaced from a typical four-wheel, hence first conveyance, configuration, to a second configuration wherein the axes of all of the wheels are transversely parallel to and non-coincident with one another. The term "in-line," "tandem" or "second" configuration also embraces within its meaning and, unless otherwise specified, both a staggered wheel arrangement wherein the wheels are longitudinally, as well as transversely, spaced one from the other and a configuration wherein all wheels are in longitudinal alignment one with the other, i.e., a zero track. It will also be appreciated that the conveyance hereof, at a minimum, has at least three wheels with at least two of the wheels longitudinally spaced from one another in the first configuration and two wheels having transverse axes longitudinally spaced from one another in a second configuration. Hence the conveyance may include a tricycle with three wheels in a typical tricycle configuration or preferably a four-wheeled conveyance.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a conveyance may be transformed or converted from the first configuration with front and rear wheels on longitudinally spaced axes, e.g. a front wheel and a pair of rear wheels (tricycle configuration) or more typically front and rear pairs of wheels, to the second configuration, where wheels are in-line or tandem and transformable or convertible back to the first configuration. The transformation from one configuration to the other may be accomplished manually, with the wheels being releasably locked and unlocked in each configuration for displacement toward the other configuration. Alternatively, the transformation from one configuration to the other may be powered, for example, by employing a spring which biases the wheels for movement from one configuration toward the other configuration. For example, a wheel assembly may be locked in a standard four-wheel configuration with a spring biasing the wheel assembly for movement of the wheels into the second configuration. By manually unlocking the wheels in the four-wheel configuration, the wheel assembly under the bias of the spring may be displaced toward and into the second configuration. The wheels in the second configuration may be returned to the first configuration either manually or under power.
A timing mechanism is also provided in accordance with the present invention such that the transformation or conversion of the conveyance from one configuration to the other may be accomplished while the conveyance is moving in the longitudinal direction. Still further, the conveyance of this invention may be powered or unpowered. For example, the conveyance may have a spring-loaded or electric motor, a motor which may be manually activated, for example, an inertia wheel, a clock spring mechanism, radio control, a pull-back motor or any other type of suitable power source. Also, the conveyance may be employed in conjunction with a launcher or catapult mechanism whereby the conveyance is freewheeling once launched from the catapult or launcher. Whether powered or unpowered, the conveyance may be transformed between configurations initially or while moving. Furthermore, the conveyance may have a mechanism responsive to the transformation or conversion from one configuration to the other for changing the speed of the conveyance. For example, the conveyance may be driven at one speed in a first configuration and, using a timer mechanism, may be converted to the second configuration, while simultaneously a speed-change mechanism is actuated to increase the speed of the conveyance. Alternatively, radio control may be used to remotely effect the transformation and the speed change.
The conveyance in a preferred embodiment includes a frame, pairs of front and rear wheels, and a means for connecting the frame and the wheels to one another, enabling transformation of the conveyance from the four-wheel configuration into the tandem wheel configuration. The connecting means may take the form of a parallelogram linkage, i.e., a pair of longitudinally extending, transversely spaced side elements interconnected adjacent their ends by longitudinally spaced, transversely extending end or cross-link elements. The front and rear wheels are connected to this linkage adjacent the pivots of the linkage and each wheel is mounted for rotation about an axis independent of the axis of any other other wheel, although, as will be seen from the ensuing description, one of the pair of front or back wheels is jointly driven in a preferred embodiment of the invention.
In a preferred embodiment according to the present invention, there is provided a variable geometry wheeled conveyance comprising a main frame, and in a first configuration, front and rear pairs of wheels carried by the frame longitudinally spaced from one another for rotation about longitudinally spaced, transversely extending, front and rear axes, respectively, enabling the conveyance for movement in a longitudinal direction, and means connecting the frame and the front and rear pairs of wheels for enabling displacement of the wheels from the first configuration to a second configuration wherein each wheel is rotatable about a discrete, transversely extending axis spaced longitudinally of the axis of each other wheel of the front and rear pairs of wheels, enabling the conveyance for movement in the longitudinal direction.
In a further preferred embodiment according to the present invention, there is provided a variable geometry wheeled conveyance comprising a main frame, front and rear pairs of wheels, means connecting the front and rear pairs of wheels and the main frame establishing first and second configurations of the conveyance, the pairs of front and rear wheels in the first configuration being longitudinally spaced from one another for rotation about longitudinally spaced, transversely extending front and rear axes, respectively, enabling the conveyance for movement in a longitudinal direction, each wheel of the front and rear pairs of wheels in the second configuration being rotatable about a discrete transversely extending axis spaced longitudinally of the axis of each other wheel of the front and rear pairs thereof enabling the conveyance for movement in the longitudinal direction. The connection means enable displacement of the wheels from one of the first and second configurations to another of the first and second configurations.
In a further preferred embodiment according to the present invention, there is provided a variable geometry wheeled conveyance comprising a main frame, a first wheel carried by the frame and a pair of wheels carried by the frame. Means are provided connecting the pair of wheels and the frame establishing, with the first wheel, first and second configurations of the conveyance, the pair of wheels and the first wheel in the first configuration being longitudinally spaced from one another for rotation about longitudinally spaced, transversely extending, first and second axes, respectively, enabling the conveyance for movement in a longitudinal direction. Each wheel of the first wheel and the pair of wheels, in the second configuration is rotatable about a discrete, transversely extending axis spaced longitudinally of the axis of each other wheel of the first wheel and the pair of wheels enabling the conveyance for movement in the longitudinal direction in the second configuration thereof, with the connecting means enabling displacement of the pair of wheels from one of the first and second configurations to another of the first and second configurations.
In a further preferred embodiment according to the present invention, there is provided a variable geometry wheeled conveyance comprising a main frame, a plurality of wheels carried by the frame, with three of the plurality of wheels establishing a first configuration with a pair of the three wheels being rotatable about longitudinally spaced, transversely extending axes and two of the three wheels establishing a predetermined track. At least two of the plurality of wheels are longitudinally spaced and rotatable about transversely extending discrete axes establishing a second configuration having a track less than the predetermined track. Means interconnect the frame and the wheels for changing the configuration of the conveyance between the first configuration and the second configuration.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved variable geometry conveyance which may be transformed between different wheeled configurations.
There and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reference to the following specification, appended claims and drawings.